Tim Cook Featured in TIME's List of '100 Most Influential People'

time-cook-time-100-2015-iconsApple CEO Tim Cook has made TIME's annual list of "the 100 most influential people" alongside several other notable celebrities, business executives, scientists, authors, healthcare professionals, iconic leaders and more.

Cook's segment was written by John Lewis, a civil rights leader and Democratic Congressman from Georgia. The chief executive last made TIME's list in 2012, less than one year after the passing of Steve Jobs.

"It could not have been easy for Tim Cook to step into the immense shadow cast by the late Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. But with grace and courage and an unabashed willingness to be his own man, Tim has pushed Apple to unimaginable profitability—and greater social responsibility. He is setting a new standard for what business can do in the world. Tim is unwavering in his support of an individual’s right to privacy and is not only embracing equality and LGBT rights but advocating for change through his words and actions. His commitment to renewable energy is also leaving our planet a little cleaner and a little greener for generations yet unborn."

While not included in the list himself, Apple design chief Jonathan Ive also wrote a piece on Airbnb founder and fellow designer Brian Chesky, describing him as a "travel revolutionary" that has created a new way to build community through his startup. "Brian Chesky’s audacity is fabulous. He dares to believe that we shouldn’t be strangers, that we can have a sense of true belonging whenever, wherever we travel."

Notable inclusions in the tech industry include YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Xiaomi founder and CEO Lei Jun. Other highly recognizable names making the list include Emma Watson, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Pope Francis, Tim McGraw and Vladimir Putin. Cook was also nominated for TIME's "Person of the Year" award in 2014.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

Apple Responds to U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features

Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation. The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false. In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...
50 New Features and Changes Worth Checking Out in macOS Tahoe

50 New macOS Tahoe Features and Changes Worth Checking Out

Wednesday September 24, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple this month released macOS Tahoe, the latest version of the company's Mac operating system. ‌macOS Tahoe 26 adopts Apple's new Liquid Glass design along with new customizations, a new Phone app, and updated capabilities across the platform. In this article, we've selected 50 new features and lesser-known changes that are worth checking out if you're upgrading. What do you think of...

Top Rated Comments

Avatar74 Avatar
136 months ago
I think people are still underestimating the impact of his coming out while still an active CEO, and of the most admired company in the world.

I work for a rather large Silicon Valley company and our CEO has been very vocal about being an ally for the LGBT community.

People sometimes say "so what"? Well, it makes a huge difference in lives of people not in the majority when their corporate culture makes them feel welcome. It makes a difference to teens struggling with depression. It makes a difference to anyone who has felt the sting of what I like to call "otherism", the various manifestations of which I won't debate here.

We've seen celebrities, athletes and entertainers wait until past the prime of their career to come out when it would impact them the least... Tim Cook used the moment when the world's eyes were all focused on him running one of the most valuable companies to reach out and strengthen the bridge of understanding and acceptance in our society.

That alone makes him a great leader.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RogerWilco Avatar
136 months ago
Them that can, do (Jobs), them that can't make spectacles of themselves...

I'm sick of hearing about every CEO's pet project or their bedroom preferences. How about you get back to work Mr. Cook and start fixing the obvious decline in the utility of products that Apple offers? Ive is out of control, retail is in chaos, and the ongoing rot at the core of OS X has to stop.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
136 months ago
His commitment to renewable energy is also leaving our planet a little cleaner and a little greener for generations yet unborn.

Let's see Samsung (and other companies) copy that!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Daalseth Avatar
136 months ago
--

As a father of three sons, I find your comments deeply disturbing. This whole "coming out" culture is as well satanic.
Dude, if one of your son's is gay then he already is. It's coded into his brain at birth as much as my being left handed was. It's not something that someone else can cause by publicly coming out. However if one of them is gay, TC being public about it might just give him the extra support he needs to keep going through what is still a difficult acceptance process.

Which will be made harder by his father rejecting him as "satanic".
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doelcm82 Avatar
136 months ago
I'm sick of hearing about every CEO's pet project or their bedroom preferences. How about you get back to work Mr. Cook and start fixing the obvious decline in the utility of products that Apple offers? Ive is out of control, retail is in chaos, and the ongoing rot at the core of OS X has to stop.
Obviously you follow Tim Cook's bedroom preferences more closely than normal people do.

I don't have any idea what kind of pajamas he wears or what sort of sheets he has on his bed.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
136 months ago
Sorry but how is Kim Kardashian influential? I can understand Emma Watson being in the list due to her recent "political" career but who does Kim Kardashian influence really?


Kim Kardashian has a tremendous influence on me. If she appears on TV, I am completely compelled to change the channel. Believe me, her power is unequaled.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)